Tacos La Cuadra
Mexican restaurant · Rainier Beach
9741 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118
Highlights
Succulent al pastor tacos served from a popular, lively stand.
Succulent al pastor tacos served from a popular, lively stand.
"This roaming taco stand pops up on random street corners around the city, so finding it is mostly luck. But if you’d rather skip the hunt for al pastor, they now have a second permanent location in the former Maiz Ballard location. You can find the same lineup of tacos, quesadillas, and tortas as the other outposts, as well as a full bar." - kayla sager riley, gabe guarente, aimee rizzo
"Let’s be clear: the trompo-sliced pork is really the only thing you should be ordering from this roving taco stand which has restaurants in Kent and Ballard. It’s simply the best al pastor in Seattle. Other menu choices fail to live up to that glorious standard. And dress that sweet and salty pork with lots of onions, cilantro, and very spicy rojo salsa." - kayla sager riley, gabe guarente, aimee rizzo
"As of February, Tacos La Cuarda has gone from being a viral late-night taco stand sensation to an actual restaurant down in Kent (with another location in Ballard). The draw, at the restaurant as at its stands, is the succulent, sliced-off-a-trompo al pastor, which is so good you won’t wish you were in some other city with a richer taco culture. More taco places like this one, please." - Harry Cheadle
"For months the operation functioned as a guerrilla pop-up, serving al pastor from tent stands in parking lots across Seattle — notably the O’Reily parking lot on Aurora and 105th, the Key Bank parking lot across from the Northgate Target, and next to the Rainier Beach AutoZone — and, "according to the Seattle Times," was shut down five times in 2024. In mid-March the nomadic taco stand opened a brick-and-mortar storefront in Kent (and announced a second location in north Ballard, directly across the street from Un Bien in the former Maiz Taqueria space), though the Kent site still “needs to file the paperwork necessary for a sitdown restaurant,” according to the Times. Tucked in a corner of an unassuming strip mall with plenty of parking and a few spots behind the restaurant, the storefront shares a building with a nail salon and a tiny Mexican grocery; the decor is pared down apart from a singular oil painting of two roosters fighting over a bottle of tequila, and the dining room seats 36 total (including bar seating). The soundtrack and atmosphere are a lively mix — from a bar-TV performance of a warbly “Despacito” cover to cumbia being played in the kitchen and playlist detours into Daft Punk or “Take On Me” — and customers range from families to construction workers; Spanish is helpful and a simple “gracias” goes a long way. The menu is deliberately simple (six items with eight fillings, plus sodas and aguas frescas) and built around the al pastor that made the operation famous: al pastor is described correctly as usually reddish in color, originally inspired by (and derivative of) doner kebab, and roasted on a vertical spit known as a trompo. The al pastor here is thinly sliced, tender, and generously spiced — “just as good as the Redditors said” and evocative of Mexico City or Mérida — while all fillings are meticulously prepared and well portioned (the lengua was noted as perhaps slightly overcooked). Toppings are fresh (surprisingly thick-cut cucumbers), and the darker-colored salsa — made with chipotle, chile de árbol, and guajillo — "achieves an ideal blend of smoky and spicy." The asada is rich and satisfying and shines in the torta (but committing to the whole sandwich can lead to a serious food coma). Other offerings include mulitas, burritos, quesadillas, and alambres; prices can be hard to read on the menu, but quality makes everything feel relatively affordable. Look for sticky-note desserts on the back of the menu: the lemon carlota, "a no-bake ice-box cake, is nostalgic with a hodgepodge of textures coming from a uniquely Mexican mix of condensed milk and Maria’s cookies," and a mango flavor may also be available. Vegetarian options are limited (no vegetable fillings), so a quesadilla with an horchata is the best bet for non-meat eaters. If the team can overcome Public Health hurdles and submit the necessary permits, the combination of accessible pricing, carefully prepared fillings, lightly eye-watering smoky sauces, and palpable momentum gives the operation a strong shot at becoming one of the region’s best purveyors of street-style Mexican tacos." - Charlie Lahud-Zahner
"The viral, guerrilla late-night taco stand has begun opening brick-and-mortar restaurants: the first location, down in Kent, is open now, and a second is slated to open in Ballard in the space opposite Un Bien (the old Maiz Taqueria), according to Seattle Met. The move into permanent locations makes it easier for people who don’t have time to drive around the greater Seattle area in search of al pastor." - Harry Cheadle
